It is not very often that you find a casserole recipe out there that doesn't use canned cream soups in it. I don't have anything against them, myself, but when I am cooking for just one or two people it is a bit of a waste to open a full can.
I found this recipe on a blog called Skinny Spatula and it did not have any soup included in the recipe. Instead you created a creamy sauce with some very simple ingredients. Chicken stock and cream cheese.
- 4 ounces (1 cup/150g) macaroni pasta
- 1/3 of a broccoli crown (about 1 cup) chopped
- 1 tsp light olive oil
- 2 small or 1 large (150g) chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 cup (180ml) chicken stock
- 1/3 cup (3 ounces/90g) cream cheese
- 6 TBS grated Mozzarella, divided
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 8 crackers made into crumbs
- 1 TBS melted butter
Easy Chicken Broccoli Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 4 ounces (1 cup/150g) macaroni pasta
- 1/3 of a broccoli crown (about 1 cup) chopped
- 1 tsp light olive oil
- 2 small or 1 large (150g) chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 3/4 cup (180ml) chicken stock
- 1/3 cup (3 ounces/90g) cream cheese
- 6 TBS grated Mozzarella, divided
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 8 crackers made into crumbs
- 1 TBS melted butter
Instructions
- Cook the macaroni in a large pot of lightly salted water to al dente, according to the package directions. adding the chopped broccoli to the water for the last 2 to 3 minutes of cook time.
- Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5. Butter a 4 cup/1 liter shallow casserole dish and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a medium sized non-stick skillet. Add the chicken breast pieces and cook over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through and starting to brown.
- Add the onion and garlic and continue to cook for a few minutes, until the onion is softened. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Add the chicken stock to deglaze the pan and then take off the heat and whisk in the cream cheese, until it melts. Stir in the cooked broccoli and pasta., along with half of the mozzarella.
- Spread into the prepared casserole dish, smoothing the top over. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Whisk the crumbs and butter together and sprinkle over top of the cheese.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown and the cheese has melted.
Did you make this recipe?
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Its easy to whip up these weeknight dinners which are perfectly sized for just two people! With more and more people becoming empty nesters or just starting out in their lives, cooking for two people can often present a challenge.
If you are an empty nester, you may be used to cooking for four or five people every night. You may be newly wed and lacking in inspiration or the know how to tailor your meals just for two people. Most recipes out there are tailored to feed four to six people and it can be difficult to get your mind around the math required to reduce the quantities for just two people.
Who wants to be eating leftovers for 3 or 4 nights on the trot! Boring! Then there is the waste involved. I hate waste and I am sure you do too!
Today I have put together an ensemble of delicious recipes that are easy and quick enough to cook on a weeknight, when most of us are pressed for time, but are also tailored just for two people, for the smaller family without any leftovers and the need to eat the same thing for day after day after day.
These meals are perfectly sized and mean that you can eat delicious, healthy, budget friendly meals every night of the week without a repeat in sight, and no leftovers to clutter up your refrigerator. Fresh, new, innovative and healthy, perfectly sized meals for every night of the week and then some. The fact that they are also quick and easy to make is a real bonus! Count me in!
With its delicious white wine and garlic sauce, this recipe takes the humble chicken breast to a special level of tastiness. Chicken breasts are a very versatile and adaptable ingredient. I always keep boneless skinless breasts in the freezer to use in recipes like this one. This is a simple and delicious recipe. Don't be afraid of the amount of garlic in it. The garlic mellows out in the cooking and adds a beautiful level of savory sweetness to the dish.
2. SHEET PAN ROASTED SEA BASS DINNER
If you like fish and enjoy Sea Bass, you are going to fall in love with this delicious dinner for two that all cooks easily on one sheet pan. No fuss, no muss, and with very little clean up involved you end up with two perfectly cooked pieces of fish and everything you need to go along side. Roasted potatoes, onions and tomatoes. That delicious tender and moist fish is garnished with some toasted cashew nuts for a beautiful finish.
Once again, no fuss no muss. This old favorite has been cooked on a sheet pan in the oven for a low fat, quick and easy way to enjoy one of our most beloved Chinese dishes. It lacks none of the flavors of the original Wok fried version and is a lot less hands on. Delicious. Simple to make with perfectly tender and flavor filled pieces of flank steak, combined with crispy tender pieces of fresh broccoli. All you need on the side is some steamed rice.
4. TUNA PATTIES
Easy to throw together at the last minute, these tuna patties are quick to make and a real store cupboard favorite. You can put them together in the morning and have them ready and chilled for frying when it comes to supper time. Fried in a mix of oil and butter to a perfectly crisp exterior and juicy flavorful interior, these are lovely served with a dab of tartar sauce, either ready or home made (you decide!) I like to serve them with macaroni cheese and an assortment of vegetables for a quick and easy meal that is always very much enjoyed.
If you are a fan of Tex Mex flavors prepare yourself to fall in love with this quick and easy white chicken chili which is sized perfectly for two people. A hearty soup that is not only incredibly tasty but also very healthy as well. Serve in heated bowls with a sprinkle of low fat cheese and a dollop of low fat sour cream for a quick and easy supper that will please on all levels! Quick, easy and delicious!
This tasty supper can be cooked long and slow in the crock pot, or you can cook it in a small Dutch oven on top of the stove. What you have here are tender melt-in-th-mouth chunks of beef in a lush flavor-filled gravy, ready to be ladled on top of buttered noodles. A veggie on the side and dinner is served!
7. CRISPY BAKED CHICKEN AND SLAW
There is something deeply satisfying about a tender and juicy, perfectly cooked chicken breast, crispy coated in a flavor filled crumb served along side of an incredibly crunchy, tangy and crisp fennel slaw. The two go together like peas and carrots. A couple wedges of lemon to squeeze over top of that delicious chicken and you have a match made in heaven!
Very simple store cupboard ingredients put together in the most delicious way. This creamy tomato sauced pasta dish is quick and easy to make, and is especially perfect to cook on a busy weeknight. Rich and creamy, comforting and delicious, this makes a great weeknight supper for those nights when you really can't be asked to cook, but you still want to enjoy something indulgent. All you need is a salad on the side and maybe some bread sticks, and dinner is served!
A delicious combination of smoked sausage, onions and peppers, cooked to perfection on a single sheet pan in the oven. Ready to enjoy in a butter toasted bun with some honey mustard perhaps, or along side a baked potato. Sausage in a bun! I love it! The vegetables get all caramelized at the edges, the sausage, golden brown and heated through to perfection. However you choose to enjoy this simple meal, you can rest assured it will be enjoyed very much!
10. CRISPY SHEET PAN CHICKEN MILANESE
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I can't believe that it is Sunday again. The weeks just seem to roll around very quickly. I think that is true of anyone who leads a busy life and that is me. I do lead a very busy life. This past week was filled with medical appointments and the like. I think that the only day I had free really was Wednesday and I ended up taking my sister to have a shot at the local pharmacy on that day as well.
I am not complaining! Not by a long chalk. I like to be busy. A busy life is a life filled with goodness. I have no time to be bored! I could not stand to be bored.
Anyways, on Sundays I like to share with you all of the main meals I have enjoyed over the past seven days along with any recipes pertaining to them, and my suggestions for what you can enjoy on the side. I do have supper at my sister's place most Sundays, and I usually have dinner out with my dad and his friend Hazel on Wednesday's. For those days I have included "like" recipes for what I have enjoyed eating outside my home.
These recipe round-ups are some of my favorite posts to do. It helps me to stay aware of the things which I am eating. I don't repeat things very often. Not that I don't enjoy what I cook, I really do, but I enjoy a large variety in what I cook and eat, which helps to keep things interesting for me.
That is really important when you live on your own as I do. I don't ever want to be a person who eats only ready made meals or frozen dinners. I want to eat real food. Food prepared by my own hands without a lot of salt, sugar and preservatives. Especially now that I am getting older.
My diet matters more now than ever. Too many older people don't eat properly and suffer health problems because of it. I never want to be that person if I can help it! And so to that end, I try to menu plan and cook my own meals every week, as much as possible. And I like to take you along with me, hoping that you will also be inspired to want to cook for yourself as well!
And without any further twaddle, let me present my meals for the past seven days. Everything delicious I have enjoyed for my main meals along with any pertinent sides. Enjoy!
SUNDAY, April 14th - Family dinner at my sister's
Most Sundays I go to my sister Cindy's place to have dinner with the family. There is just me, my father, Cindy and her husband Dan. Usually she cooks a roast or chicken. A number of weeks back though I had gotten a good deal on some Baby Back Pork Ribs. I had given them to my sister and said, "Invite me over sometime!" She makes the best ribs. I do make them at home from time to time, but there were two full racks in the pack, so it made better sense for me to give them to her.
These are the Best Oven Barbequed Ribs. It is my sister's recipe and process. The ribs always end up fall of the bone tender and juicy. I would never bake ribs any other way now. It really is the BEST! We had them with some roasted vegetables and potatoes. So yummy. Then we had sugar free jello for dessert with some whippy cream on top!
MONDAY, April 15th - Chicken Tikka Alfredo
I took some chicken thighs out of the freezer and made myself some Chicken Tikka Alfredo. This is a small batch recipe which feeds two people generously. I took the liberty of cutting it in half yet again so that I had only one serving.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Weekends in my house are always time for baking and cake. I love to have a good cake in the house at the weekend, and this lush Peanut Butter Sheet Cake is a really lovely one to have in!
The recipe is for a largish, 9 by 13 inch sheet cake, which cuts into 12 squares. Having said that you could cut the cake in half and freeze half for a later date if you don't think you will eat it all in one go.
The frosting is a lovely almost Mousse-like Peanut Butter frosting. The cake itself is vanilla flavored. The peanut butter flavor is all in that frosting! And what a frosting it is!
- 2/3 cup (151.5 g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large free range eggs (in the U.K. medium)
- 2 1/4 cups (282g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- 1 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- a small quantity of chopped salted peanuts to decorate(optional)
We love a good cake at the weekend, and especially if we are having company. Here are some other cake recipes which we have baked and enjoyed that you might also enjoy!
SPANISH CAKE - This is my all time, absolute favorite cake. So much so that I also recreated it in a small batch version. This cake is so good that I once baked it about three times in one week! It has a lovely moist crumb, flavored with cinnamon and that brown sugar penuche frosting is to die for. It is the absolute best!
BUTTERMILK CHOCOLATE CAKE - This buttermilk chocolate cake is the best of the best! This recipe is four generations old. It is fabulously old fashioned one-bowl chocolate cake, and perfect for family celebrations! Moist and delicious as one would expect with a lush chocolate frosting! This is the best chocolate cake you could ever bake and is perfect for celebrations or just because!
Peanut Butter Sheet Cake
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup (151.5 g) butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (300g) granulated sugar
- 3 large free range eggs (in the U.K. medium)
- 2 1/4 cups (282g) plain all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup (240ml) whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 cups (360g) creamy peanut butter
- 1/2 cup (65g) icing sugar
- 1 TBS butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch salt
- a small quantity of chopped salted peanuts to decorate(optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Butter a 13 by 9 inch baking tin and lightly dust with flour. Set aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides occasionally.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Sift the flour and baking powder together. Stir in the salt. Add this to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, making three dry and two wet additions. Use a low speed on the mixer to do this. Beat in the vanilla.
- Spoon into the prepared cake tin, smoothing the top.
- Bake for 30 minutes or until risen, and the top bounces back when lightly touched. A toothpick inserted in the center should also come out clean. (Mine too about 10 minutes longer.)
- Remove to a wire rack and cool completely before proceeding.
- In a large bowl combine the peanut butter, butter and icing sugar. Beat at medium speed until smooth. Add the cream, vanilla and salt, and continue to beat until thickened. Use immediately.
- Spread the frosting over the top of the cooled cake. Garnish with chopped peanuts if desired.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Did you make this recipe?
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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